The present invention concerns an apparatus for storing and transporting piece goods, in particular articles whose dimensions in at least one or in two mutually perpendicular directions are markedly larger than in the remaining third direction in space, wherein the articles are received in substantially U-shaped pockets which are formed from a flexible web material and which are arranged in a support stand or frame.
Such an apparatus is known for example from German patent applications Nos. P 41 38 507 and 195 49 166. In the known apparatus the U-shaped pockets are formed by a long web of material which is laid in a plurality of loops which are suspended for example on bars or rods which are arranged at a spacing in succession so that accordingly the web of material is laid transversely over a first bar, extends downwardly and then extends upwardly again in a U-shape, is then laid over the next bar, and so forth. The portions which are hung over the bars can be sewn off in that case so that they form the closed loops, through which the carrier bars extend so that the web of material also cannot slip on the bars in the longitudinal direction thereof and thus the U-shaped pockets are always of the same length or depth. The web of material can also be suspended on additional loops which are specifically disposed on the web of material.
Such apparatuses are used for example for storing and transporting individual components in automobile manufacture, for example bodywork parts, door claddings and other components which are generally more or less two-dimensional articles, that is to say articles which are of relatively large dimensions in at least one but in most cases two mutually perpendicular directions, in comparison with the third remaining direction. That applies for example in relation to the doors, door claddings, engine hoods or bonnets, wings and other parts of motor vehicles.
Corresponding apparatuses for storing and transporting components of that kind which are comparatively sensitive to impact and scratching are intended for transporting and also storing the corresponding components as inexpensively as possible, that is to say without expensive packaging means. Depending on the respective configuration involved the corresponding apparatuses are relatively simple to load and unload, they are re-usable and, if no articles are being transported therein, depending on the respective apparatus configuration, they can also be collapsed or folded down to constitute a compact structure.
In order to deal carefully with and protect the articles transported in such apparatuses the webs of material usually comprise a relatively soft, flexible cloth which for example can be a woven fabric or a fleece-like material and which can possibly also comprise a plastic web with embossing or shaped portions thereon.
If the corresponding articles are relatively large and comparatively thin, the U-shaped pockets into which the articles are inserted either from above between two bars or however laterally into the ends, which are open at that position, of the U-shaped pockets, must be of a correspondingly large vertical (and possibly also horizontal) depth. Then, between two adjacent bars on which the two ends of such a U-shaped pocket are suspended, a relatively long piece of material web hangs loosely down, forming the U-shaped loop.
As the material web must be relatively soft and flexible to protect and deal carefully with the articles to be transported or stored, with the material webs hanging down loosely the oppositely disposed web portions can relatively easily deform or form folds, which can have the result that the two portions of a U-shaped pocket, which form the limbs of the U-shape, bear against each other so that the corresponding pocket, at least at one of its ends or in parts of said ends, is no longer open and readily accessible. In many situations of use however loading and unloading of those apparatuses precisely from the end of the pockets is preferred in particular for the reason that, because of their size, the pockets have to be suspended at such a height in the corresponding frames or support stands that, when the support stand in question is simply standing on the ground or on a pallet, the pockets are accessible for the personnel loading or unloading the apparatuses, at the best from the side, that is to say from the ends of the pockets in question, and not from the top between the carrier bars.
If however the webs suffer deformation and come to bear against each other because of their flexibility, then at any event loading of such an apparatus is made considerably more difficult, because a person who then wants to insert an article into that pocket firstly has to open the pocket, that is to say that person has to separate from each other the portions which are bearing against each of the webs of material, in order to be able to insert an article into that pocket. That is particularly tiresome if the person needs both hands to support the article and introduce it into the pocket, which can then mean that the article firstly has to be put down, then the pocket in question has to be opened so that it is only after this that the article can be picked up again and inserted into the pocket, in which case the pocket can then independently close again if it is not specifically held open.
There is also the danger of damage or scratching occurring, when the article is being put down.
A further disadvantage of the known apparatus is that adjacent pockets each jointly use a respective suspension bar so that accordingly all U-shaped pockets are immediately adjacent and are connected together by virtue of the common material web from which they are formed. There is then practically no possibility of also arranging additional damping and packaging material between the pockets as in particular the web portions of adjacent pockets, which hang down over the same bar, generally bear directly against each other. Admittedly, those material webs could certainly be separated from each other, but that again requires additional handling operations.
The U-shaped pockets which are only suspended at their upper end also have the troublesome inclination to swing about for example when being transported in a truck or other wagon or carriage, in particular when heavy articles are accommodated in those pockets. Due to those swinging movements the pockets can knock against each other or also against the frame of the support stand, and that then, in spite of being covered by the web of material, can result in damage to the articles accommodated therein.
In comparison with that state of the art the object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus having the features set forth in the opening part of this specification, in which the loading and unloading procedure is simplified and nonetheless the other advantages of the known apparatuses are retained and the articles are also still accommodated in a well-protected or even better-protected manner.
That object is attained in that the U-shaped pockets are formed by two respective separate substantially parallel-extending material webs comprising the flexible material, wherein at least one respective additional connecting web of a flexible web material extends between the two material webs and is respectively connected substantially over the entire length thereof to the two adjacent separate material webs.
An essential difference in relation to the known apparatus therefore is that it is not for example a continuous material web that is suspended in a U-shape that forms the pocket in question, but there are provided two substantially flat webs of a flexible material, which are suspended at a spacing separately in relation to each other and which are then connected together by an additional connecting web so that the result in principle is a U-shape in a cross-section perpendicularly to the two parallel material webs and perpendicularly to the plane defined by the connecting web. In this case the parallel or perpendicularly downwardly hanging, separate material webs do not necessarily have to be connected together at their lower ends by the connecting web, but this can also happen in a somewhat higher region. In particular also a plurality of connecting webs can connect the two separate material webs together at a spacing and in substantially mutually parallel relationship so that for example there are formed a plurality of mutually superposed pockets which are each of a U-shaped cross-section and which can be closed by an additional connecting web at their top side, for example by the connecting web of a U-shaped pocket which is arranged thereabove and which so-to-speak supplements the existing U-shaped cross-section to form a=-cross-section.
By virtue of the fact that the separate material webs generally hang down perpendicularly and are only connected together by an additional connecting web, they are more easily held at a spacing relative to each other and no longer have a tendency to come to bear against each other and thereby close the open ends of the U-shaped pockets.
The connecting webs may also have an inlay or insert of a somewhat less flexible material such as for example a thin plastic plate or a somewhat thicker plastic foil or sheet which extends for example substantially along the entire connecting web and which further substantially enhances the effect of holding the two separate material webs apart. Moreover the connecting webs do not necessarily have to extend horizontally between the perpendicularly hanging, separate material webs but they can also extend for example inclinedly relative to the horizontal or they may even extend vertically between the material webs so that the U-shaped cross-section of the pockets occurs substantially only in a horizontal section. The connecting web can be so disposed between the two other material webs and connected thereto that, considered in itself, it also in turn forms the shape of a U, but it can also be in the form of an xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d connecting together the two adjacent material webs which hang down substantially flat.
The spacing of the connecting locations which preferably extend over the entire width or depth of the pockets may be markedly less than the overall width of the connecting web between the mutually oppositely disposed fixing locations. That applies in particular if the connecting web has the above-mentioned inlay or insert which then defines a normal spacing width between the two perpendicularly downwardly hanging material webs, but which if necessary can be enlarged to the full width of the connecting web between the fixing regions thereof.
The connecting web can either be sewn, glued or welded to the two parallel material webs. The only essential consideration is a strong connection which is capable of bearing loads as articles which under some circumstances are relatively heavy in weight are to be accommodated in the pockets.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention the width of the connecting web between its fixing regions to the two adjacent material webs is greater than the spacing between the material webs which are connected thereby, in their normal position which is intended for transportation or storage of articles. It will be appreciated that the width of the connecting web is adapted to the maximum depth of the articles to be accommodated in the U-shaped pockets and is possibly greater than the maximum dimensions of the articles to be accommodated, in the third direction in space as referred to above.
In this case however the flexible material webs may adapt to the shape of the articles to be accommodated and may possibly bulge out to a greater or lesser degree in the region of projections on the articles, possibly even beyond the width of the connecting web. The above-mentioned somewhat stiffer insert or inlay which is to be provided in the connecting web is preferably of a width which is markedly less than the total width of the connecting web between the fixing regions thereof.
The material webs are preferably suspended at their upper corners and if possible are also suspended or guided at their front lower corner. In that way it is possible for the web to be more or less tensioned between at least three points and thereby held substantially flat in its position. In the case of material webs which are particularly wide and thus for example can receive articles from two opposite sides in a correspondingly wide U-shaped pocket, in which case there may also be a vertical partition between those articles within the pocket, the web of material is preferably also suspended at the rear corner or overall at all four corners, in which case in addition a suspension means may also be provided at the centre of the upper edge.
Particularly preferred is a design configuration of that suspension arrangement in the form of eyes which are incorporated into the material web and which are guided on rods or bars which extend in the support stand or frame in mutually parallel relationship at the mutual spacing that the corresponding eyes also have from each other on the web when in the spread-out condition.
The corresponding frame should be open either at the top or laterally in order to make the U-shaped pockets correspondingly accessible from above or from the side and possibly also from both opposite sides.
The bars on which the eyes of the material webs are guided are desirably fitted into a collapsible frame. That makes it possible for the bars with the material webs to be removed from their condition of being suspended in the frame, and possibly also for the bars to be pulled out of the eyes and for the material webs to be arranged in a closely packed stack, in which case the frame is also collapsed so that the empty apparatus, in that collapsed condition, takes up only very little space.
When the material webs are arranged in the support stand or frame, spacers can be provided between adjacent material webs, more specifically both between the material webs which with a respective connecting web jointly form a respective pocket and also between adjacent material webs which each belong to another respective U-shaped pocket. In particular also cushion material can be disposed in that intermediate space so that possibly hard but sensitive or delicate articles in adjacent U-shaped pockets are very well cushioned relative to each other.
In such an embodiment with the cushioning option, it is desirable if the material webs are provided only in interconnected relationship in pairs by means of connecting webs so that cushion material and the articles to be transported or stored are respectively arranged alternately between successive material webs, the latter each in the respective U-shaped pockets formed by two material webs.
It is however also possible for a material web to be provided on respective ones of both sides with a connecting web and for the free end of that connecting web then to be connected to a respective further material web, in which case this can also be further continued until the result achieved is a desired number of interconnected material webs, wherein, with the exception of the two outermost material webs, all inner material webs belong to two respective adjacent U-shaped pockets.
It is further desirable if, when using a corresponding frame or support stand in which the material webs are accommodated, all open sides of the frame or support stand are closable by a further material web or a curtain which extend substantially perpendicularly to the parallel material webs of the U-shaped pockets.